True to form, the works Lotus Cortinas of Jim Clark and Jack Sears took the initial advantage, but Jack Brabham in Alan Brown's Ford Mustang used brute power to get by along the straight after South Bank Bend. At Westfield Bend the yellow flags were waved when Sears ran into the back of the new World Champion and spun him round!
So at the end of the first lap, Brabham led Sears, Roy Pierpoint (Ford Mustang), who snatched second place away from Sears along the Top Straight, Mike Salmon (Ford Mustang) and Clark, who had restarted. After Frank Gardner in the Willment Lotus Cortina, the battle of the Minis was on - it was all Mini, too, for the two Superspeed Anglias were not allowed to start on a small scrutineering technicality and John Anstead in the little Fiat Abarth complained of lack of urge.
With South Bank Bend permanently shrouded in tyre smoke, the race kept the crowd amused. The Minis were being thrown sideways round the corners, and the works Cortinas were continually on three wheels.
On the fourth lap Clark went straight on at Bottom Bend, coming into the pits from the wrong side to have a flat tyre replaced. Now out of the running, Clark nevertheless came out for more and spent the rest of the race doing acrobatics in the Cortina, even cornering on two wheels! He set a new outright saloon car record of 1.54,2. during this display. Clark's progress was halted twice afterwards: first, the ignition terminal was replaced at South Bank Bend and secondly, he stopped at the pits to complain of faulty steering, later to set off to finish the race at reduced pace. Clark was, in fact, excluded from the results as a mechanic worked on the car away from the pits.
Brabham drew well away, with Pierpoint and Salmon in the Mustangs giving chase. Sears and Gardner were next up then Sir Gawaine Baillie's Mustang. On lap 16 Salmon was black flagged; the near side rear wheel was wobbling violently and, on stopping, it was found that the hub was broken. Towards the end Pierpoint closed the gap on Brabham, but he left the challenge too late and finished 2,2 seconds behind.
John Fitzpatrick's Broadspeed Mini led the 1 litre class until his seat broke, then Warwick Banks in the works car took command. Mike Campbell-Cole and David Miller enjoyed a glorious dust-up for second place, but the latter lost it at Hawthorne Bend on lap 7, spun and collected Campbell-Cole. Miller rolled the car, but Campbell-Cole got away with frontal damage.
With John Rhode's car delayed while a lead off the coil was replaced, Paddy Hopkirk took command of the 1300 cc class for the works Cooper team. But then Paddy had a tyre go at Clearways and he stopped, which gave the class to John Cannadine from Gordon Spice. Tony Lanfranchi's Alexander Mini was a second lap casualty with a disintegrated clutch and the carburettor falling apart, while John Handley's Broadspeed entry had its clutch go as well. The pits were very busy.
Source: Autosport